Tips

As smart phones have become an integral part of daily life, battery life has become a ubiquitous concern that people monitor, like gas is for drivers. As devices have become more powerful, the drain on batteries has likewise grown. It is a constant challenge for manufacturers to improve battery life, which always seems to be the weakest link. Aside from advances in the physical properties of batteries, advances in software can greatly improve the life of a battery by optimizing the device's power usage.

Most stock and popular third-party apps on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus now feature quick action menus that allow you to to perform tasks directly from the Home screen. Quick Actions are little shortcuts users can access by performing a long or hard touch on app icon. For example, pressing hard on the Phone icon will bring up a list of your frequently used Contacts. Third-party apps such as Facebook also allow users to acces commonly used features from the Home screen such as writing a status update by using Quick Actions.

One of the most significant new features on the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus is 3D Touch. The latest iPhone packs a pressure-sensitive display which can be used to invoke menus directly from the home screen. Now thanks to the jailbreak tweak Forcy, those with older devices running iOS 9 can get in on the action. Once installed, Forcy simulates the functionality of 3D Touch on the home screen.

One of the most convenient ways to pay for iTunes, App Store and other content on iOS devices is through carrier billing. Using this service means that all charges are simply tacked onto your monthly wireless bill. In similar fashion, prepaid subscribers will have costs for music, movies and iBooks automatically subtracted from their account balance. Apple has already started to offer carrier billing to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users in select regions.

The fourth-generation Apple TV is the first Apple set top box that allows users to download and install third-party apps. This includes games which can be played using the Siri Remote or third-party MFi controllers. This means that users are capable of deleting apps or games from their Apple TV for the first time. Here's how to interact with apps on your Apple TV 4.